Astral Resources has struck a one-metre interval grading 219 grams per tonne (g/t) gold inside the proposed Stage 1 open-pit footprint at Theia, strengthening the early mining case for its Mandilla gold project near Kalgoorlie in Western Australia.

The exceptional hit came from AMRCD374, a reverse circulation (RC) hole with a diamond tail that was drilled as part of the Theia Deeps program. Although excessive deviation forced Astral to stop the hole at 318.9m before it reached its intended deep target, drilling returned several high-grade zones within the Stage 1 area.

Other results from hole AMRCD374 included 3m at 15.4g/t gold from 141m, including 0.3m at 122g/t; 13m at 2.29g/t from 62m, including 1m at 21.8g/t; and 3.35m at 5.86g/t from 229m, including 0.3m at 60.4g/t.

“Although the hole was terminated before reaching its intended Thea Deeps target due to excessive deviation, it intersected multiple high-grade zones… as well as a host of other mineralised intercepts,” Astral managing director Marc Ducler said.

“In all, the 319-metre hole delivered 426.5 grams x metres of mineralisation along the hole length, further reinforcing the high-grade opportunity the early stages of Theia represent.”

The Stage 1 pit contains 4.2 million tonnes at 1.1g/t gold for 146,000 ounces and is expected to provide the first 21 months of the project’s mine plan at a 4:1 strip ratio.

Astral also received assays from another 41 RC holes covering 4456m. The batch returned a weighted average grade of 1.54g/t gold, above Stage 1’s 1.1g/t mineral resource grade, and standout results included 7m at 10.4g/t, 13m at 5g/t, 4m at 13.5g/t and 11m at 4g/t gold.

“These latest results from the Theia in-fill RC program continue to validate our geological and Mineral Resource models within the proposed Stage 1 open pit, while also reinforcing the high-grade nature of the highly altered zones within the host granite,” Ducler said.

The results build on Astral’s July round of high-grade success at Theia, when assays from 56 RC holes supported the planned conversion of Stage 1 resources to the Measured category.

The in-fill program has now completed 225 holes for 22,705m, with a further 206 holes for about 21,248m planned. Astral is also awaiting assays from seven Theia Deeps holes covering 4227m.

The drilling follows the company’s August land-use agreement covering Mandilla’s key tenements, another step towards completing the definitive feasibility study and advancing project approvals.